State Lawmmakers Advance Bills that Would Add Age-Related Restrictions and Protections for Apps

Monday, February 9th, 2026 -- 8:01 AM

(Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) State lawmakers are advancing bills that would add age-related restrictions and protections for digital apps and social media platforms.

According to Sarah Lehr with the Wisconsin Public Radio, because digital apps and social media platforms are designed to be addictive, additional safeguards are needed to shield kids, supporters of the bill argued.

State Rep. Joy Goeben, R-Hobart, authored a trio of bills that advanced to a public hearing Thursday. She said she’s heard from people who argue the onus should be entirely on parents, not tech companies.

“As a parent, I can’t stand over my kid’s shoulder every second,” Goeben said. “I rely on guardrails.” She added, “Parents deserve to know and parents deserve control.”

One of the proposals would require developers of applications made available in an app store to verify the age range of users using a “commercially available method.” For users under 18, parental consent would be needed before a child can download an app.

The bill would also require developers to notify parents whenever there are significant changes to an app used by a child. And the bill specifies that a developer cannot enforce an app’s terms of services provisions against a minor unless a parent signs off.

Samuel Krebs of the socially conservative group Wisconsin Family Action said such provisions are commonsense. “We recognize that minors lack capacity to bind themselves to contracts,” Krebs said. “This bill simply extends that principle to digital commerce.”

Under the bill, Wisconsin’s consumer protection agency could sue developers that break the law, resulting in fines up to $7,500 for each violation. Parents could also sue to recoup $1,000 for each violation.

Another bill would apply to social media companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. It would require those platforms to estimate the age of users using “reasonable means and efforts.”

For users under 18, the platform would have to set privacy restrictions to the most private level available. And the bill would ban certain “addictive” features from being used in a minor’s social media feed.

That includes “infinite scrolling; a profile-based feed; push notifications; autoplay video,” the bill says. It would also prohibit displaying metrics like the number of shares, likes or reposts on a child’s feed.

“Platforms are designed to remove natural stopping points,” Goeben said. “Public likes and metrics (have) turned childhood into a popularity contest. Constant notifications never give kids a chance to step away.”

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.